Something Better than a Grudge
by Kanna37
Summary: Loke's got just over two days left to fulfill the terms of Gray's deadline - and still no idea of how to go about doing it... on either count. Conclusion to The Grudge.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Fairy Tail, they belong to Hiro Mashima. But I'd be thrilled to take Loke off his hands.

* * *

Five days had now passed since Gray had given him a certain seven-day deadline, and Loke still hadn't a clue how he was going to meet it – on either count. When his friend had found out about the grudge he'd been keeping against Gajeel Redfox on Lucy's behalf, and his feelings for the celestial mage as well, he'd given him one week to not only tell the young woman of his love for her, but also find a way to start getting over his anger at the iron dragon-slayer.

Or _else,_ as he'd put it.

Nothing much had happened in those five days, his master going on a few small day jobs by herself or with various members of her team. He'd spent most of his time in her world, opening and closing his own gate numerous times without disturbing her in any way. But there hadn't really been a chance for him to get her alone since she hadn't needed him on any of her jobs, and now time was running out.

He wasn't even going to count the grudge thing, because he'd had exactly zero luck on that end, too. _You know what? I'm just going to take one thing at a time. Figuring out how to tell Lucy I love her is way more important than letting Redfox off the hook,_ he decided.

So what _was_ he going to do? Blurt his feelings out in front of the guild – or maybe the entire city of Magnolia? Hell, maybe he should just spell it out in stars across the sky come nightfall so the entire _world_ could see his confession. Sure. That should shut his frozen friend up – or at least about that.

 _Good thing he doesn't know about the rest of my grudge-keeping..._

Loke sighed.

Today wasn't looking too promising as a love-confession day either, truth be told. There was no job, but there was a pool-party at the guild that he knew his lady-love would be attending. Normally he probably wouldn't bother too much with it for himself, but the chance to ogle a very scantily-clad Lucy all day – and the sudden realization that if he _wasn't_ there, she'd probably have all sorts of guys all over her – had pushed him right into it.

The other problem was that he wasn't feeling at all confident about the matter of _her_ feelings, even if Gray said he should be. He certainly wasn't seeing whatever it was that was making the other man insist that Lucy would be receptive to him. She seemingly paid him no more mind than any of the other guys that hounded her. He shrugged resignedly. Well, maybe today he'd see whatever it was. He hoped so, because otherwise he was just about ready to go hide in the spirit world and avoid his friend and his deadline entirely for as long as possible... like a few years, maybe.

With an only slightly petulant grumble, Loke forced his gate open and appeared in front of the guild wearing nothing but swimming trunks, his shades, and sandals, with a towel thrown over his shoulder. He didn't stand out, as all the guild members currently entering and those already inside were wearing gender-specific swimming attire, as well – even the Master, though he wasn't outside but sitting on the bar with a foamy mug in his hand as he watched his 'brats' with a smile.

Leo headed towards the bar himself, not really ready to go outside – Lucy wasn't here yet, as he couldn't feel her presence anywhere around the guild. (Yes, he always knew if she was nearby. He was really rather oversensitive when it came to her, and he could feel her in ways the other celestial spirits couldn't.) Sure, there were all the other beautiful female Fairy Tail members running around just as scantily clad as the blonde was sure to be, but while he still admired a fine female form there was no desire to go after them anymore. He only wanted one woman now. In fact, he pretty much compared every other girl he saw to his master, and none of them ever measured up. He'd realized by this time that they weren't going to, either.

"Loke!" Master Makarov said with a grin, lifting his tankard in salute. "I didn't think we'd see you at this event. As much as you've always liked the ladies, you've never really bothered attending pool parties before," he teased mildly. "Did you have Lucy open your gate just so you could attend this time?"

Loke leaned on the bar and smiled at Mirajane, who came over to take his order and then moved away, allowing him to answer the master. "No, I forced my own gate open. I usually do when I wander around in the human realm. There's no need for me to be a drain on her power all day for something like this."

"Ah, I see. Although our beloved celestial mage has become much, much stronger lately, and I don't think keeping your gate open even all day would bother her at all, really," Makarov said with a fond smile when he thought of the golden-haired young woman.

Accepting the drink that Mira handed him, the lion took a slow sip as she moved off to take and fill other orders. Then he stared into the tankard pensively as he thought about his well-loved master. "She has," he finally agreed. He chuckled a little as Makarov watched him with a knowing gaze. "Though even before she was stronger than she knew, or would have ever believed if you'd told her. When she saved me..." he trailed off for a moment as he relived that time.

"You never really told anyone how that happened."

A small smile crossed Loke's lips at that. "I'd never seen anything like it, even in all the endless ages that I've existed," he began slowly. "She found me in front of Karen's grave - I'd gone there because I knew it was time. My energy was finally fading away, and I would soon have disappeared. She confronted me about my identity, and then when I told her my story and that I was about to vanish, she refused to allow it. She told me she would force the gate to the spirit world open and send me back."

Makarov's eyes widened a little at that. "Really?"

The celestial spirit nodded, just staring into his drink as he walked the path of his memories. "Yeah. She refused to give up. That was back before she'd even opened up her second origin, but the power I saw from her that night... it was unheard of. She almost managed to force the gate open, might have done it, too – if she hadn't said that if it was the law of the spirit world that I had to vanish for Karen's death, then she would change it. Her words carried so much power and determination that they caught the attention of Seirei-o."

"The spirit world emperor?"

"Hm," Loke hummed absently in agreement. "Then she stood there and argued my case, that the law was wrong. She asked what good power was if you couldn't use it to protect your friends, and took him to task over the matter. I thought she was going to get herself in trouble, to be honest," he laughed, shaking his head ruefully. "But she told him that as a spirit himself he should have understood what I was trying to do by protecting Aries from Karen. And then she went even further. She opened the gates for every one of her spirits to come out in support of her words – all her silver and gold keys – _at one time_. Even after the sheer amount of power she'd already expended trying to force the gate."

It was quiet for a few moments as Makarov thought all that over. He was frankly astounded. If Lucy had been capable of that even back then, what was she truly capable of now? What would she be able to do in the future with more training? His mind boggled even thinking about it.

"The spirit king was not angered over her words?" he finally asked.

Loke grinned at that. "No... actually, he calls her his 'old friend' now. He's become _very_ fond of her."

A soft smile crossed the old man's face as he thought about the young celestial mage. "Lucy has that effect on most people," he said. "It is her heart. I think that's actually the true source of her power in a way that it isn't for the rest of us. As long as her heart is never darkened, she will never _truly_ be defeated."

It grew quiet between the two men for a few minutes as they thought about that. It was a companionable silence that lasted until Loke finished his mug of hard cider and sighed. "Well, I suppose I should head out to the pool, since that's where the party's at. Besides," he said, his head lifting as he looked towards the area in question, "Lucy's finally here."

Makarov smiled, the expression knowing again, even as a faint flush painted Loke's cheeks at the look. "I see that she not only has _her_ heart, but she's taken yours, as well," the master teased, and the celestial spirit face-palmed in embarrassment.

"Is it that obvious to everyone?" he asked, his voice muffled, and the old man laughed.

"I would not say so – but I have been around for a long time, and I've seen the difference in how you act with Lucy versus how you reacted to all those other girls." His eyes twinkled. "Most probably have no idea of your feelings – including the beauty in question."

"Good. It's bad enough that Gray figured it out," Loke mumbled, shaking his head as he let his hand fall back to his side.

"Oh?"

"Yeah. He ordered me to tell Lucy, then gave me a week to do it – or else."

A wicked grin split the master's face. "And how long ago was that?"

"Today's the fifth day."

"Then you'd better get busy on it, my boy," the little man said genially, a widening smile brightening his countenance even further.

Loke sighed woefully. "I know." He turned and began to make his way through the crowd with a wave to Makarov. "See you later, Master!"

When he got outside, he was glad he'd arrived when he had – the pool was already getting crowded, and he wanted to get a good chair for himself before they were all gone. And maybe if he was lucky, he could find one near her... or even better, right next to her.

He immediately spotted his lady-love, already on the other side of the pool and setting her things on the lounger of her choice. There _were_ several others still empty nearby, and he hurried over to get the one beside her before anyone else could take it. He grinned engagingly when Lucy looked up and blinked in surprise at seeing him.

"Loke! I didn't expect to see you here-" a brow lifted, and then she rolled her eyes with a seemingly-disgusted pout, "-although maybe I should have, considering all the mostly-naked girls that are going to be here today. Ugh."

He acted shocked at her words. "There are other ladies here besides you, my love? I'm afraid I had not noticed," he said with a flamboyant smile. "I could not bear to take my eyes off of you long enough to see any others."

It was really nothing more than the truth, though it was clear Lucy didn't believe it.

"Uh-huh." She shook her head and her hands went to the buttons on her cute beach cover-up, and Loke wasn't able to think of a comeback as all coherent thought flew right off into the sunset.

He swallowed harshly and began to sweat a little as she reached the last button and opened it up, sliding it off her shoulders and dropping it on the chair without even noticing his reaction.

The spirit of the lion almost choked, and his eyes about fell out of his head. There wasn't much to what she was wearing under that cover-up, but what there was had all sense gone from his mind in one single instant. Tiny black pieces of fabric that almost seemed as though pierced by many glowing stars were joined by golden trim and strings... _his_ colors. And oh, those shapely, endless bare legs and bare _ly_ -covered ass...

 _Holy hell, I'm doomed._

A wolf-whistle and shout directed at Lucy from off to the left somewhere had him scowling an instant later and having to exercise great restraint to keep from knocking the guilty party out. He let off a resigned curse after a moment and swept a hand through his mane of hair.

 _Shit. We're all doomed._

This was going to be a very, very long day.


	2. Chapter 2

An hour later, and the party was finally beginning to heat up. Loke decided it was time to go get another drink, so he stood up from where he'd been sunning himself – as well as not-so inconspicuously staring at where his beloved downfall was letting the sun worship that beautiful body of hers - and smiled.

Setting his sunglasses aside on the little table between their chairs, he said, "I'm going in to the bar. Would you like anything to drink while I'm at it, princess?"

Lucy opened her eyes when she heard him, and then sat up for a minute to reach into her bag for some jewel. "That sounds great, actually," she smiled, "how about one of Mira's Strawberry Firebombs?"

The spirit chuckled as he waved away her money. "I see you enjoy the Natsu special, as well, hm? I've noticed that it seems a popular drink around here."

" _N-Natsu special?_ " the blonde sputtered, her eyes wide and curious.

"Oh, didn't you know that's what most of us call it? I mean, he _is_ a strawberry firebomb, when you stop to think about it," Loke's grin was playful.

She shrieked with laughter at that, because he was right. That definitely described Natsu to a 'T'. After finally managing to catch her breath, Lucy's bright smile gentled a little as she looked at him. "Thanks, Loke," she said softly.

He just shook his head, his own smile softening in response as he stuck his hands in his pockets and turned to head into the guild. "Don't mention it, love. I'll be back in a few."

Sighing as he made his way back outside with both drinks about fifteen minutes later, Loke chuckled silently. It was crazy in there by the bar, a line pretty much having formed as people vied to get one of Mira's famous summer drink creations. He might not have bothered with it just for himself, instead going to the little bar that was set up outside with Lisanna covering it for a regular whiskey or another hard cider, but his master had asked for a Firebomb, and he was determined that she get it.

He came to a surprised halt right after he stepped out the doors. Lucy was standing almost directly before him talking to Cana, who of course had a full mug of her usual already in hand.

The brunette grinned tipsily at him as she caught sight of him. "Hey, Loke," she said with a wink, "whatcha doin' here? You've never showed for one of these things before."

Her expression, while innocent enough, didn't fool the lion one little bit – he could quite clearly see the knowing sparkle in her eyes as her glance darted to Lucy before coming back to him. At which point her grin became a smirk.

"Well, you know how it is, Cana," he quipped smoothly as he handed Lucy her drink, "I must protect my master at all costs, even if that's just by helping her to avoid a sunburn by assisting with putting on her sunscreen."

"Phfft," she waved off with a laugh, "you wanna get a lot more than just your hands and some sunscreen on her, and you know it!"

Loke heard a slight choking sound from next to him, but before he could turn to make sure Lucy was okay she spoke, and what came out had _him_ almost choking.

"All he has to do is ask," his blonde goddess said playfully, her voice sweet but just a tiny bit shaky, showing her inexperience in such matters.

He was so stunned at her response that it took him a few seconds to figure out what to say in return. Hopefully, the pause wasn't long enough for her to notice. "Now, now princess, you shouldn't tease a man like that," he managed to return lightly enough, "you might give him ideas."

Cana elbowed Lucy in the side and leered at her. "He's got a point. Maybe you _should_ tease him and give him some ideas," she chortled, before turning and staggering off towards a gathering of the girls back over on the other side of the pool.

He returned his gaze to Lucy and blinked, enchanted for a moment by the blush on her cheeks. He was forced back to attention at her next words.

"Maybe I should," she said as if to herself, and then she openly ogled him for several long seconds before she blushed even more and turned away quickly to follow Cana as her nervousness caught up with her.

Loke was left standing in shocked silence with his drink in hand, staring after the girl as she disappeared into the crowd around the pool. He could tell his mouth was hanging open, but for some reason he couldn't seem to close it. _Whoa._ Had she just... flirted with him? Was she actually _trying_ to entice him? Badly yes... but... had Gray been right, after all?

A low, gritty voice from just behind him temporarily yanked his mind – though not his eyes - from the beauty of a bikini-clad Lucy, and he flushed and then scowled when he realized he'd actually said all that aloud, though thankfully the woman in question didn't appear to have heard him.

" _I_ wouldn't say it's so badly," Gajeel chuckled wickedly, "considering _your_ reaction to it."

He didn't really have to point that out, since Loke could quite well feel the rush of blood to his groin at the mere _idea,_ thank you very much. _How the hell does he know, though...?_ he wondered idly in the back of his mind even while his eyes were still busy eating their favorite meal.

Then Natsu's smarmy voice joined in from over his other shoulder, and he scowled again.

"Yeah, I'll say. Could smell _your_ reaction from a mile away," the fire dragon-slayer grinned broadly.

Loke turned to sneer at the pink-haired dragon-slayer when he realized that both men's eyes had been watching Lucy's beautifully-rounded rear as she walked away. He immediately spun, dropped his drink on a random table without care, and Regulus-punched both of the guys into the water with one blow.

"Stop staring at her like that!" he shouted angrily, before diving in and going after Natsu first, seeing as he was closest.

Salamander cheerfully slung a return punch as soon as his head came out of the water, grinning like a madman as shrieks and yells went up. A full on brawl started between all the guys on that side of the pool as Loke went flying back into Max, who he then turned on and flung into the back of Gajeel's head as he surfaced. Black-Steel crashed into Elfman, but didn't let any blows thrown from that end distract him from his primary target.

"Lionheart!" he roared, a steely fist already forming.

"Redfox," Loke snarled back, both of his hands balled up and glowing.

"What the hell is your problem?!" the metal-man yelled as they threw punches and jabs with wild abandon.

"You! You are! I saw you staring at her!" he growled out as he ducked a body flying by and then crouched low in the water to leap towards the dragon-slayer. "You shouldn't even dare to look at her at all after what you did to her!"

Gajeel halted for a moment and then blinked in confusion. "What? What the hell are ya talkin' about? I didn't do nothin' to Bunny Girl."

Loke never got the chance to respond to that before the pool suddenly froze in their vicinity, stopping both of them in their tracks. The two turned their heads and looked at a seriously annoyed ice mage, who was glaring at the lion spirit from just outside the pool.

"What the fuck, man?!" slayer and spirit both yelled at him. "Go find your own fight!"

"What the hell are you doing, Loke?!" Gray demanded as he ignored Gajeel, eyes narrowed on his friend. "I thought we'd already talked about this. You need to get over that whole matter!"

Gajeel just looked back and forth between the two, totally confused as some cups went flying between them, followed by more bodies and a couple pool-side chairs. "The fuck?" he repeated, utterly lost. Yes, he realized he'd been punched the first time because he'd been caught looking at a very nice ass by an extremely jealous, possessive, and overprotective celestial spirit, but the rest of it made no sense. What was Gray talking about?

"I already told you it isn't that easy!" Loke sneered, throwing out a hand as a bright light shot out of it and destroyed the little table heading for his face before it could quite reach him.

"And so this is your solution - start a brawl over it? What's that going to do?!"

"Maybe this is exactly what I need! Screw your 'get over your grudge' deadline! I like _this_ better!" the lion shouted, allowing the heat of his light to melt the ice around him as he began to glow all over.

The explosion of concentrated heat meeting cold water sent an eruption of steam into the air as it evaporated about a third of the water in the pool, making the now party-wide brawl take on a rather unique quality that hadn't thus far been seen before in other battles.

"Hey! I'll give you a fight if that's what ya want, Lionheart!" Gajeel shouted, rearing back and grabbing a tree limb that went floating past and swinging it full force at Loke, who took the blow and went under, although the limb shattered on contact.

The lion came up swinging, his brightly glowing fist connecting with a hard jaw and snapping the pierced man's head around. "You call _this_ a fight?" he taunted, eyes narrowed and burning darkly as he followed up with a blow to the other man's stomach that sent the air right out of the slayer's lungs for a moment. "You were a better opponent before - when you were with Phantom Lord!" he continued, teeth gritting with strengthening rage and elongated canines glinting – and then he got slammed from behind by something with wild pink hair and went underwater again for a moment.

He came back up to, "And you weren't!" and a hard blow to the head from Gajeel that just infuriated him even further.

"I was dying! What's _your_ excuse, you metal-brained maniac?!" he retorted loudly, melting an ice-lance that came at him, knocked from its course by a blast of fire from Natsu, who had locked onto his favorite 'rival' and was eagerly trading blows with Gray. That took the ice mage's attention and managed to keep him occupied and _out_ of Loke's fight.

"Is that what this is?" Gajeel snarled at him. "You're still pissed that I kicked your ass back then?!"

"No!" Leo the Lion roared, lighting up the entire area with celestial brilliance as he leapt high out of the water and sent a deadly kick at the slayer's head. _"I'm pissed and holding a grudge because you hurt Lucy!"_

That roar and the amount of power suddenly coming from him froze the entire tableau, and everyone stared at him, mouths gaping open at the fury erupting in their midst. This wasn't like normal guild brawls, which weren't really about anger and more about cheerful, drunken rivalry and fun. _This_ was savage, and no one had really ever seen an explosion of power and wrath like that from _Loke_ , of all people. He was normally a fun-loving flirt, a charming playboy of a man who didn't really hold grudges much – or tend to show off just how strong he actually was.

But he was apparently making up for it with a vengeance right then, because the only thing that stopped him from landing a terrifyingly accurate blow to a stunned iron dragon-slayer was the pink wool that was abruptly cushioning everything in sight and busily soaking up any water left flying around. _And_ the end of the whip that snapped tight around his wrist, surprising him into falling back and his power into instantly shutting down. That was Lucy, and no matter how pissed off he was, any chance of her getting hurt or caught up in the savagery immediately checked his aggression. Before anyone else could even move he was standing in front of a very red-faced blonde, scanning her to make sure she wasn't injured in any fashion, because gods-forbid she get a scratch while he was around, or anything.

"Lucy! Are you okay? Did anyone hit you?!" he demanded, grabbing gently at her arm with his free hand and anxiously looking her over even more closely. (Not that doing so was a hardship or anything.)

She eyed him uncertainly as she unwrapped her whip from around his wrist and the pink wool from Aries – as well as the spirit herself - vanished, leaving everyone to land awkwardly wherever they happened to have been about to before it had appeared.

"Uh... don't you think you should have thought of that _before_ you threw the first punch?" she asked.


	3. Chapter 3

_Don't you think you should have thought of that before you threw the first punch?_

Loke's eyes widened. If she'd gotten hurt, it would have been _his_ fault.

 _Damn it!_

Before he could begin punishing himself for that transgression, his master looked at him and then away, her flush deepening. "And besides, what was that about with Gajeel? Are you really still mad at him about what happened back then? I'd honestly kind of forgotten about it, actually," she mumbled, glancing at the staring slayer, who just blinked and then flushed himself.

"Hey," he called out, climbing out of the emptied pool and shuffling over. He rubbed the back of his neck as he looked at her, then at a now-growling Loke warily. "Uh, I guess the bastard has a point," he said, flushing even more uncomfortably as he caught Levy looking at him. "I never really _said_ it – you know, that I'm sorry. So I'm sayin' it now." He glared at the celestial spirit standing protectively in front of her. "And quit actin' like that, fool. I ain't gonna willingly hurt her ever again, so get over it."

"Once was enough."

"You can't honestly go around keeping grudges against everyone who's ever hurt me, Loke," Lucy sputtered, her eyes widening at his continuing aggression towards Gajeel.

"Yes, I can!" A rather long piece of paper suddenly glowed into his hands and unfolded around him, and he pointed at it. "I've got a list, and that bastard isn't the only one on it by far, just one of the worst," he insisted, ignoring her now gaping face as he continued to glare at the slayer. The list disappeared in a flash as Loke suddenly staggered sideways, though, and he spun on the man whose fist had just pounded him in the side of the head. "What the hell, Gray?"

" _A list?!_ Are you fucking _kidding me?!"_ the dark-haired mage demanded, since Lucy seemed too astounded to even speak at the moment.

"I dunno," interrupted yet another voice as Natsu butted in, joining the lion in front of Lucy. "He's got a point... I know I kicked your ass back then when that happened, Gajeel, but I've got a list, too," he said, not paying any attention to the angry shout of denial from the other slayer. He pointed to his head, then glanced at Loke. "It's just up here instead of written down. Although it looks like your list is a little longer than mine. Maybe we should go over the names and get our count straight," he finished, looking absolutely serious.

" _What!?"_ Gray shouted, slamming his palm into his face. "You, too? What the hell is wrong with you guys?"

A firm female voice broke in at that point. "I don't need you two wandering around keeping lists of grudges against people because of me. I can take care of myself."

"Sorry, princess," Loke rebutted instantly, looking at her over his shoulder. "That's my job. I'm your protector, and keeping track of those that cause you problems is all part of that."

She set her hands on her hips in the beginnings of annoyance. "Did I ask you to do such a thing? I don't recall you even making a true contract with me, come to think of it. So, technically, nothing's your 'job'."

He half-turned and cocked a brow at her, and then he grinned naughtily. "Or everything is," he winked. "That's kind of what _I_ had in mind when I didn't set any specific terms with you."

Her eyes narrowed and she stepped back cautiously at the look on his face. "Loke-"

An elegant hand came up and interrupted whatever she was about to say. "Nope. Sorry, Lucy-love. This one isn't going to go your way. Let's just say... _you_ are my responsibility, with everything that entails." He leaned towards her, his lids lowering a little. "I'd be more than happy to give you a demonstration of _exactly_ what I mean when I say that anytime, babe, just say the word."

Features darkening and arms now akimbo, Lucy clenched her fists and looked away. "See, there you go with that stupid, empty flirting again. I wish you'd take me seriously!" she yelled as she looked back at him, wiping the seductive half-grin off his face – as well as the rest of the guild-members also-smarmy smirks. Every last single one in attendance was standing around and listening into the verbal melee, many with a certain glee – or they had been. Now it wasn't so funny. "I'm not your jester or just some joke for you to make – _or_ part of your damn harem!" she suddenly screamed at him with tears welling in her eyes, before turning on her heel to storm away.

Loke immediately lost his cool. The moment she screeched that out and he saw those tears he was behind her, begging and pleading and completely ready to prostrate himself on the floor for her to walk on for as long as she wanted if only she would just look at him, acknowledge him.

Unfortunately, she didn't appear to be in the mood to listen _or_ look.

 _Fortunately_ , certain _other_ members of the guild decided that it was high time to put an end to the mess and took rather direct action to achieve their goal.

Gray clonked Loke over the head yet again and froze him to the ground. Then Erza's business face pinned on the blonde and sudden requip into her sarashi and hakama, along with her katana pointing at a chair got Lucy to "Eep!" in startled dismay and sit down where that sword was indicating without fail. No one said a word as she sniffled and discreetly wiped her tears away as she did.

Once Lucy was sitting and Loke was quietly rubbing the sore spot on his head, Erza turned that bland, yet oh, so dangerous gaze on the rest of the guild members standing around, and suddenly, only the core group of Fairy Tail were still within eyesight. Everyone else had vamoosed, not wanting to stick around to irritate Titania any further.

She turned back to the couple before her.

"I do not usually involve myself in such matters," the scarlet-haired woman began dangerously, "but this time I feel there is no other choice." Her eyes narrowed just the slightest bit, and the two staring at her so mesmerized stiffened. She met Loke's gaze and said, "Talk."

He knew exactly what she meant.

 _Oh, man. I personally thought the whole 'write my feelings across the sky in stars' idea was a better one,_ he gulped inwardly. _Less painful... and humiliating._ That was bad luck for him, because Erza didn't look like she'd be willing to wait for dark for the explanation.

Sighing after a moment, he stiffened his spine and turned his head to look at Lucy. With the peculiar, but firm resolution of the utterly damned, he sat up as straight as he could with the ice still surrounding his lower half (which he was only leaving in place so as to give him some protection from Erza's wrath, mind) and opened his mouth.

Even he was uncertain of what he was going to say until it was actually out.

"I love you," he finally shrugged, something inside him deciding to go straight to the point. "I have for a long time."

Lucy blinked a couple of times, then snorted disbelievingly, rolling her reddened eyes impatiently. "Liar. You date other women constantly."

Loke shook his head, a slightly amused smile tilting his lips at her reaction, and glanced at Gray. "See? Told you she wouldn't believe me."

"Can you blame her?" the ice mage quipped darkly.

"Hey," Lucy interrupted as her gaze narrowed suspiciously, "what do you have to do with this, anyway, Gray?"

It wasn't his voice that answered her.

"He figured me out and demanded that I tell you how I felt," the ginger-haired man chuckled, surprised that this was actually turning out to be so easy. It seemed that once there was no choice and he was forced to open up, his burden was lightened. "So here we are, and I'm telling you. If you remember that time when we fought Bixlow and I explained that I wasn't like his dolls, I said it then. I told him that _love_ made spirits stronger. I wasn't making that up, and I wasn't lying. I loved you even back then, and it's only gotten more powerful with time. You may not believe me, but it won't ever change, either. I really only want you." Smiling pensively, he stared into the sky and added, "In fact, when you were wearing that wedding dress at the Grand Magic Games and I told you we should get married, I wasn't joking or flirting – I was deadly serious. You're different than any other girl, Lucy. I never emptily flirt with _you_ – I mean everything I say."

When nothing was forthcoming from the woman in question after several beats of silence, he met her gaze and cringed at the fire now burning in her rich brown eyes and the livid flush on her cheeks.

"Oh, hell," he sighed again. "Here it comes."

No one - except Loke, apparently, as he braced himself - expected Lucy's response to his confession and explanation.

She shot to her feet, balled her fist up, and sent him flying as everyone stared at her in shock.

The blow broke right through Gray's ice and laid the celestial spirit out flat. Fury and magic power was fizzing around Lucy without real form and crackling along her whip, mesmerizing her totally willing victim, had she but known it. She stomped over to where he'd landed and loomed furiously over him, looking like nothing so much as a dominatrix about to practice her craft. All she was missing was the skintight black leather.

Loke groaned. Even that pissed off, she was hot. It wasn't fair! In fact, it suddenly occurred to him that it might be that her being that pissed at him was making her seem hotter at the current moment than he always thought she was, anyway. He wasn't really into masochism, but he enjoyed angry sex once in a while, so maybe...

 _Damn me!_

"You jerk! Why couldn't you just be straight with me instead of treating me like one of your good time girls?!" Lucy raged as Natsu cackled in the background and thrust a fist in the air.

"Way to go, Luce! Nice punch!"

Erza, obviously not in the mood for interruptions to the resolution of the current issue, quieted him by the simple expedient of knocking him out.

 _Good time girls?_ "Uh, w-what?" Loke stuttered, his mind so muddled from her magnificence – and the blow she'd given him, not to mention the whole situation - that he couldn't even get that much out without momentarily tripping over his own verbal two feet.

"Your harem, idiot! All those girls you always have hanging all over you. Everyone knows you're a playboy! You were treating me just like one of them, so how was _I_ supposed to know I was different?!"

The lion smiled gently at that, surprising her into silence. "First of all, when was the last time you saw me with any other girls, let alone flirting?" he asked.

She blinked, taken aback.

When _was_ the last time she'd seen him do that? She actually couldn't remember, now that she was thinking about it.

Her mouth opened uncertainly, and then closed again as she straightened up and took an uncertain step back.

"Exactly," Loke said, still smiling so sweetly at her. "And second, I wasn't quite treating you in the same way as I did those other girls, though you couldn't have known that, of course. You see, normally I'd flirt with a girl for a little while, but if she showed no inclination I would move on fairly quickly. No point in wasting my time, right? But I've been trying to get _your_ attention since practically the beginning. That's what flirting's for, after all," he pointed out from his spot on the ground. "To get the attention."

"But... but then why didn't you ever just _say_ something about it?" she asked, sounding bewildered and frustrated.

"Because you never really gave me any encouragement, and honestly, who wants to put themselves out there only to be rejected? So I did the only thing I could think of to do - kept up the flirting, with a vague hope that maybe _someday_ you'd notice me as more than a friend." He chuckled ruefully. "Bad plan, right?"

"Yes!" she snapped immediately. Looking around at the rest of the gang still watching what was going on with intent stares, Lucy stepped fully back from Loke and said firmly, "Get up and let's go. We need to go somewhere and have a _long_ talk. _Alone,_ " she emphasized pointedly, though not without blushing at how it sounded.

Loke eyed her intently for a moment, and then he nodded and stood up with almost heartbreaking grace, smiling charmingly at his lady – but this time with no hints of flirtatiousness. Instead, open, honest affection glowed in his eyes, and most of the rest of the guild members still standing around smiled themselves at seeing it. Then they all started to move off, slowly beginning to clean up the mess left by the fight.

Erza, Gray, and Gajeel were the only three left behind – not counting a still-unconscious Natsu - and the requip mage locked gazes with the lion spirit. "This matter will be successfully resolved by tomorrow, or else I will know the reason why," she warned, her voice ominous, before turning and grabbing Natsu's ankle and dragging him off.

The lion was not given the chance to answer that, because Gray immediately got his in. "And your grudge against Gajeel. It's over, Loke," he insisted. "No more. He won't hurt Lucy again, and in fact he's helped her several times. If you _don't_ find a way to get over it, I'll pound you until you just can't remember it anymore, am I making myself clear?"

Lucy interrupted right then with a small glare at the celestial spirit, and Loke shot her sheepish look. "Oh, don't worry, it will be. As well as that whole stupid 'list' thing," she said, her voice hard. Then she turned a blinding smile on Gajeel, and added, "Don't think about that old matter anymore. I forgave you for it a long time ago, okay?"

The slayer just nodded, then turned to move off towards Levy, leaving only Gray behind.

The ice mage sighed as he looked between his two friends, then shook his head wearily. He began to turn away with a wave of his hand, then paused and pointed at the ginger-haired man. "Make sure you don't mess this up, Loke. Because if you do and I have to listen to your bellyaching over her-" he tilted his head towards Lucy, "-I'm going to pass to truly _drastic_ measures, are we clear? And that goes the same for your grudge-keeping."

The lion held his friend's gaze quietly, then said, "You don't fool me, you know. _I_ know you keep track of people who hurt her, too," as both men ignored an impatient Lucy for the moment.

"Oh, for sure, if someone goes after her and tries to hurt her I'll protect her and definitely beat the hell out of whoever it is for doing it, but then I'll let it go. I might keep a watch out to make sure they never come back, but I don't carry on over it like you do," Gray huffed. "And if they realize their mistake and try to make amends, I move on, just like Lucy herself. That's the difference."

Loke's lips twisted and he looked away, shrugging ruefully. " _You're_ not in love with her," he stated baldly, seeing no reason to talk around the matter now. In a way it was a relief not to have to hide anymore – he felt like he'd been holding his breath for months and could finally breathe easily again.

He just hoped she didn't end up turning him away...

"Whatever, man," Gray chuckled and then slipped off, leaving the two alone together for the first time since this had all started.

"Let's go," Lucy said, drawing his attention back to her once more. She gave him a set look, but no longer seemed angry as she had earlier, and Loke nodded.

"Lead on, princess," he replied, his voice going slightly husky as he looked at her. She was always so beautiful to him, but right now, with the flush still on her cheeks from her outburst of temper a few minutes ago and the sun highlighting that delicious body of hers, she was absolutely stunning. The most gorgeous thing he'd ever laid eyes on, and while people who'd known him and his former playboy ways might scoff, it was nothing less than the absolute truth - one he felt all the way to his core. She was even more beautiful inside than she was on the outside, and with _her_ looks that was saying a hell of a lot. There was just no other woman that could ever compare. "I'll follow wherever you choose to go."

She slanted him a searching glance when he said that, one he didn't try to hide from. "Do you really mean that?"

He held her gaze for a couple heartbeats, then gave her a poignant half-smile and inclined his head. "Always."

To his wonder a smile slowly formed across her face, and as he stared bemusedly at how breathtaking she was, she grabbed his hand and tugged him over to where their things were still laid out on their loungers. "Then let's grab our stuff and get out of here," she returned with something that looked very much to Loke like a come-hither expression in her eyes.

His heart skipped a beat and then began to race just that little bit faster with anticipation and hope, and he – admittedly rather daringly – raised the hand she'd clasped his with and kissed the back of it genteelly. "Your wish is my command, my lady."

She blushed, and he chuckled. Letting go her hand with one final squeeze, he walked over to the chairs and picked up his towel and glasses, slinging the fluffy material over his shoulder and then sliding his shades back on. He waited patiently while she slipped into her cover-up, but before she could pick up her bag he grabbed it.

"Allow me to carry that for you, princess."

Her smile widened and her blush deepened just a little as she nodded, then she turned and moved to walk beside him as they headed for her apartment. They were far too lost in thoughts of each other to notice the grins and waves being directed their way as they disappeared into the bright white light of midday, but no one was offended by their lack of response.


	4. Chapter 4

The companionable quiet lasted until they reached her place and made it inside.

"Where do you want me to put your bag?" Loke asked softly after the door was shut.

Lucy smiled, a little shy now that they were completely alone. "Oh, um, you can just set it there on my desk," she gestured towards the piece of furniture in question, then clasped her hands together for a moment. "I... I'm going to start some tea. Would you like some, or maybe something a little harder?"

He shot her a half-smile in return as he set her bag down where she'd indicated. "Tea would be good. I think I'd like to remain sober right now."

The young woman blushed faintly at that roundabout reference to their coming talk, then nodded. "Tea it is, then. You can have a seat – I won't be long."

"Take your time, princess," the Lion returned as he sprawled himself comfortably in one corner of his master's couch to wait after setting his glasses and towel aside. He was perfectly content in the moment, and he watched her through slightly-lowered lids as she went about preparing their tea.

He chuckled inwardly as he studied her. Anyone seeing Lucy on any given day wouldn't be accused of being mistaken if they called her clumsy, because she could be _very_ clumsy. And yet, she had so much inherent grace – like what she was displaying now as she moved around her small kitchen - that he couldn't figure out how she managed to be such opposite things at the same time. So many oddities and contradictions all caught up within one complicated, but absolutely amazing young woman... he was a fool, but he'd be a lucky fool if he managed to snag her for himself. He was now determined that he _would_ do it, no matter what it took – or how long. He'd wait forever for her if he had to.

He returned to his surroundings at the sound of her voice, instantly re-attuning himself to her without even needing to think about it.

"You're staring."

"Of course I am. I always stare at you," he returned honestly.

"What?" She looked surprised. "I've never noticed you staring at me."

"I know," he chuckled softly. "I made sure you didn't. I figured if you knew just how often I watched you, you'd probably knock my jaw off – rather like Erza did when I first met her and tried to flirt with her. It wasn't fun when she did it, so I was pretty sure I didn't want you to do it." Then he winced a little and cracked his jaw. "And now I know I was right. You've got a mean right hook, princess."

Lucy blushed and went back to her task, the water just now ready to be poured over the teabags. "I'm sorry," she said uncomfortably, beginning to look guilty. "Would you like a cold compress or anything for it?"

Her question was met with another, deeper chuckle. "No, it's fine. I've had much worse, believe me. I'm well aware that you didn't hit me as hard as you could have – as hard as I deserve, truthfully. As experienced as I'm supposed to be with women, it's rather funny how stupid I've been about this. Really, it's I who owes _you_ an apology for my foolishness and the stress it's apparently caused you, so here it is. I'm truly sorry, Lucy. I never meant to hurt or upset you with the things I've done."

The blonde glanced down at the cups as she set them on the table, then sighed and looked back up at him with a small smile. "I suppose I know that," she acknowledged. "I guess it's obvious that _I'm_ not experienced in these matters at all, isn't it?"

Loke smiled in return, and his eyes twinkled a little wryly at her as she sat down near him. "Yes, but that's okay with me. It's rather hypocritical, I know, but the fact that you haven't had a lot of boyfriends makes me happy," he admitted quietly. "I only wish now that... oh, never mind," he finally sighed. "It's a pointless wish, anyway."

"Eh? What do you mean? What do you wish?" She looked a little confused.

"Oh, I was just going to say that I almost wish I could say the same... but like I said, such a thing's a moot point now. There's no changing the past."

Lucy looked away, her expression suddenly a little conflicted as she grimaced. "I... I kind of don't know how to feel about that, actually. In some ways I wish that, too... but on the other hand, this would probably be much more of a mess if you weren't experienced. And now that I think about it," she said, suddenly looking nothing so much as sad, to Loke's distress, "it would be extremely selfish of me to want such a thing, because you've lived for a very long time, and I wouldn't want to think of you having been alone for so long. So I guess I'm saying I understand, even though I don't like to think of you with other girls, and... it's okay."

The celestial spirit considered her for a moment, then reached over with one large hand and grasped her fidgeting fingers, causing her to look back up at him with solemn eyes. "If you want to know the truth, I've been alone, anyway. None of those girls ever really touched my _heart_ – which I suppose is the point. I'm experienced with women, yes... but not love. In that I'm as inexperienced as you, as funny as that sounds."

Lucy looked very surprised. "But... I thought you and Karen-"

Loke pulled his hand back and interrupted her there, not really wanting to think about his former master, especially at such a time. "When I first contracted with her, I thought so, too. But man, was I wrong," he said, shaking his head ruefully. "Looking back on it now, I can't believe I _ever_ made such a mistake, because there's just no comparison. Absolutely none. Hindsight is twenty-twenty, they say, and I've learned the hard way that's one hundred percent true."

"Oh, o-okay," the young woman stammered. "I guess I can't deny I'm glad to hear that."

It grew quiet again as they both sipped their tea and tried to order their thoughts. It was a peaceful silence, though, an easy one. Unsurprisingly, it was Loke who broke it first after a few minutes as he finished his tea and set the now empty cup back on the low table. She did the same with hers a fraction of a second later.

He turned his body to sit sideways on the couch so he could look at her head-on, and waited for her to meet his eyes. "Be straight with me, Lucy, please. What do you want from me? I need to know so I don't mistake things for more than you're willing to give."

At that, the girl sighed and folded her hands together, a determined expression sparking in her gaze, and he could tell she was gathering her courage. She glanced at her lap for a moment, then said, "You," without any further qualification, as if it were really just that simple.

Loke's heart thumped hard, and he was rather glad she couldn't hear it. "Me? As in...?" he trailed off, hope spearing through him.

"As in everything," she stated steadily, though her cheeks pinked a bit with embarrassment. But she didn't back down, and the hazel-eyed man just felt his admiration for her deepen even further.

She genuinely had a stranglehold on him, and he couldn't even bring himself to care. As long as he could have her, he'd take everything she had to give and return even more, and damn the consequences.

Love wasn't something he'd ever sought out. He was an immortal celestial spirit, and most of the ladies of his past had been mortal. He'd never had any _real_ attraction to any of the other stellar spirits despite the few times he'd dated a couple of them, but giving his heart away to someone who would age and die so rapidly just hadn't interested him, either. So he'd kept himself to the physical and not bothered with the rest of it.

Then he'd met Lucy, and she'd quickly become an entirely different matter than everyone else. For her, he'd risk all of himself and be happier than he'd ever been before while doing it. And for himself - because when it came down to it he was a selfish being - he would stand even in the face of eternity and defy her mortality and his immortality both. One way or another, he would keep her by his side. Now that he'd had a taste of what it felt like to be in love, especially with someone so amazing, he wasn't about to let it go.

He was a lion, a predator of terrible ferocity and all the power of Regulus, as well as the other ten stars in his constellation, at his command. Let the fates try to pry her from his grasp – he'd spurned their wiles before, and if that's what it took to keep her by his side, he would do it again.

Unable to restrain himself any longer - especially after such a guileless declaration on her part - he scooped her into his arms, holding her sideways across his lap. The thrill that ran through him when she instantly snuggled against him was delicious, and he was addicted to the feel of being wrapped around her in such a way just that fast.

 _Oh, yes, I'm totally doomed. But you know what? Bring-it-on._

Running tender fingers through her hair, then across her cheek, he smiled down at her. "If that's so, then can I call you my girlfriend now?"

"If you want to," she whispered shyly. "But I'd better be the only one from here on out, are we clear?" she added in a stronger voice, the warning unmistakable. "I won't share. Ever."

"Then we both feel the same," was all he said in response, and she understood immediately.

Lucy nodded. "Okay." She glanced up at him and blushed yet again, which Loke thought was totally adorable. If it kept up though, she'd end up permanently pink-cheeked.

 _Hmm..._ Maybe he could help that along, because she did look _really_ good with that delicious color in her cheeks.

"Well, since you're my girlfriend now, I think it's a good time for our first kiss, don't you?"

At that question Lucy really _did_ turn red, her gaze falling away as she nodded. "I... I guess so," she replied, her voice little more than a wisp of sound. Her heart was now racing and her hands shaking with nervousness, and Loke picked up on that fact.

This was all new territory for her, so he wasn't taken by surprise by her reaction, but he knew that the only way to allay her fear was to usher her through the embrace with patience, love, and a gentle touch.

He could do that. There would be plenty of time for passion later, once he'd calmed her fears and given her that first soft taste of pleasure. He didn't want to overwhelm her – this wasn't a siege of her body, but a slow seduction of her heart. "You trust me, don't you?" he asked. Her eyes snapped back to his at that and she nodded again, and he smiled. "Good. Don't be afraid – I would never hurt you."

Reaching up with one hand he cupped her cheek and lifted her face to his, and moving languidly and with great tenderness, he pressed his lips to hers as his eyes fell closed.

He kept the kiss barely there at first, nothing more than the touch of his lips to hers until she sighed faintly and relaxed into the caress. Then he tilted his head and parted them just a little to press sweetly against her upper lip for a brief second, before brushing the tip of his tongue against it. Her mouth opened tentatively on a breathy moan, and he took the kiss a little further, this time tracing his tongue along the tender flesh just on the inside of her lips. She went limp as it reached the top one again, and Loke licked a bit deeper into her, gradually slipping his tongue past her teeth to tangle gently with her own. He kept the contact easy and filled with the tender warmth that was flooding him in waves and didn't go too deep, then pulled away slightly after a few moments to let her catch her breath. Gods knew he needed to catch his own after _that_.

His eyes slitted open to stare at her with wonder in their heated, glowing depths. _Wow... I was more right than I knew earlier. My doom really_ _has_ _found me... and all I can do is embrace it wholeheartedly and beg for more._

Heart pounding with elation and love and blood rushing loudly through his ears, he felt almost as though that had been his first kiss, too. Unadulterated reverence for her filled him to the brim, and Loke leaned back in just enough to brush his lips softly over hers one more time before reluctantly pulling away more fully – he didn't want to rush her past such an important first. She should have the time to take in all that she was feeling, and he would give it to her. Besides... _he_ wanted a little while to just take it in, as well, despite the fact that his body was absolutely screaming otherwise.

He knew she could probably feel the evidence of that, too, as closely as her bottom was pressed against him. But there wasn't much he could do about his near instantaneous physical reaction to their kiss and the emotions being shared between them, so he just ignored it and concentrated on other things.

Such as _Lucy's_ reaction to their first intimate interchange as a newly-committed couple.

She was panting a little, the fierce blush of earlier now gone and a softer, more diffused tone painting her skin. He watched in total fascination as her eyes finally fluttered open, and swallowed hard at the dazed, but languorous expression in them. He didn't want to rush her, but _damn_ she was making it hard... literally _and_ figuratively.

The gentle scent that was all Lucy was now tinged slightly with a deeper spice, and Loke's nostrils flared with the deliciousness of it. Arousal. It was something he'd smelled ridiculously frequently throughout his life, and yet this... was different. It reached deeper, enticed him completely in a way he'd not known he could be until that very moment. It made him want to crawl inside her skin with her and live there forever, to bind himself to her in the most basic of ways, but so much more even than that... he just wanted to love her with all the purity and beauty of the heavens themselves, in a way that only he really could.

And he would.

He tucked her tighter against him as she lay her cheek against his chest, a fierce sense of pride and possessiveness sweeping through him. She was his now, and he swore to himself that she always would be. He would never give her cause to leave him – he'd never survive it if she did, and he knew he wouldn't even want to.

"I hope you enjoyed our first kiss as much as I did," Loke eventually said, once both of their breathing had returned to normal. His voice was soft and rife with the smile of sheer, intoxicating happiness that he was unable to keep from spreading across his face.

Lucy nodded against him, but then pulled away a little to look up at him, and he met her gaze questioningly.

"I did, but-" her eyes darted away for a moment, and then she giggled giddily as her hand came up to rest against the bare skin of his chest a little shyly, "-you could have taken a little longer at it, you know."

He immediately shook his head, and his smile softened on her. "No. That wasn't just _our_ first kiss, but yours. That's a special sort of thing, and you deserve the time to savor it. I would never take that away from you." Then he grinned. "There will definitely be more where that came from, though, and I promise I'll take as much time as you want me to."

She looked a little timid, then. "So you really did like it, too?" she asked, her voice somewhat anxious, and Loke couldn't help the disbelieving look he shot her at that.

He lightly pressed his hips against her, just enough to get her attention, and gave her a wry kiss to the cheek. "I know you felt at least my physical reaction, Lucy, so that's a rather redundant question."

Her eyes widened at his bold statement and even bolder move, and then she giggled again. "Oh, yeah... I guess so. It doesn't take much, does it?" she joked.

"Not with you it doesn't, apparently," he agreed dryly. "That's actually never happened to me before – just kissing someone isn't usually enough to trigger such a response. So yes, I _definitely_ liked it, and if even that much was so wonderful I can't begin to imagine how much better everything else will be, too." Then his voice went serious, and he added, "But I wanted our first kiss to be about my love for you, not my desire. I can only pray you felt _that_ above and beyond anything else."

She beamed, and he blinked, a little dazed at the brilliance of it. "I did," she replied. "I hope... you could feel the same, even though I didn't know what I was doing, because I really do love you."

His smile matched hers, and he pressed an affectionate kiss to the top of her head. "Yes, I did," he said.

"Good," she sighed happily. There was a pause, then she looked up at him through her lashes impishly. "Now, about that list of grudges..."

Loke burst out laughing, and he was so utterly and profoundly happy in that moment that he decided that he really could get rid of his grudges. He would not _forget_ those who'd hurt her, and he would protect her from anyone that tried, but why bother to waste time being angry at people that weren't even around – especially when he could instead be enjoying time with his beloved?

It was a surprisingly easy conclusion to come to, now that he thought about it, though he knew it was simply because he was just too overjoyed at the way this day had turned out to care about anything extraneous anymore. But it worked, and with a final chuckle he allowed his list to form in his hand – and then gave it to her.

"Do what you want with it, my love," he grinned.

She promptly tore it up. "See? Now you can spend time paying attention to me rather than that list, right? Isn't that better?" she asked coquettishly as she fluttered her lashes playfully at him.

His bright smile softened fondly as he stared down at her. "Better than anything in either world," he agreed, and pulled her back to nestle against his chest with a peaceful sigh, wanting nothing more than to wallow in these moments forever.

High in the heavens, hidden by the still bright sunlight of the day, Regulus flared redly as if to agree.


End file.
